


Renewed Acquaintances

by idontlikegravy (subcircus)



Series: Watcher!Abby [7]
Category: Highlander: The Series, NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-16
Updated: 2010-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-06 08:26:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subcircus/pseuds/idontlikegravy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richie and Ducky have a large headache when an unexpected guest arrives in autopsy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Renewed Acquaintances

Ducky pulled on his gloves and approached the autopsy table. The figure lying on it was a Doctor Adam Clifford, but it was hard to tell because of the 90% third degree burns on his body. They were lucky that enough of two fingers had been intact enough to identify Dr. Clifford from his prints. Ducky leaned in toward Dr. Clifford's head and tutted sympathetically.

"You poor fellow. Let's see if we can't find out who did this to you. And why exactly a British surgeon was found dead at a US naval dockyard," he said. His eyes trailed down the body and his face wrinkled into a frown. "That's odd," he commented. Palmer looked up from his clipboard.

"What's that Doctor Mallard?" he asked.

"A curious thing, Mr Palmer. Under the lights of autopsy, these burns look far less severe than they did at the dock."

"How is that possible?" Jimmy asked. Ducky looked at him and shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps they were more superficial than I'd first believed. We shall find our answers with a blade," he answered with a smile. Ducky caught a glimpse of the clock. "My, is that the time? Once you've delivered Doctor Clifford's clothes to Abigail, you might as well take your lunch. I'll take care of the good doctor."

"If you're sure, Doctor," Jimmy said, trying to sound nonchalant, as he was hoping for a lunchtime rendezvous with a certain member of the legal team. At Ducky's nod, Palmer happily grabbed the box of evidence and left.

Ducky continued his exterior examination of the cadaver, but stopped when he noticed a mark on the inside of the man's wrist.

_No, it can't be_, Ducky thought. He lifted the man's arm and his worst suspicions were confirmed. There, on the wrist, was a circular, blue, tattoo. A Watcher's tattoo.

"Oh, you poor man. What were you doing there? Were you killed in the line of duty?" he asked the corpse. He tutted again before he picked up a scalpel. He bent over the body, ready to make the Y-incision, when the doors of autopsy slid open. "Back so soon Mr. Palmer?" he asked, but as he looked up he realized his mistake. It was Richie, not Jimmy, who had entered. "Oh, hello there, my boy."

"Ducky, I just needed to...Oh, sorry, you're doing an autopsy. My bad," Richie said.

"Oh that's okay, you can stay, but I find that most people are generally squeamish in the morgue."

"No, not me. Woken up in too many of them."

"Ah, yes, of course."

"What happened to him?" Richie asked, stepping forward. After a few steps he felt the Buzz and realised that the corpse on the table was Immortal. "Er, Ducky, where's Palmer?"

"He's gone to lunch. Should be back in an hour or so," Ducky replied, absent-mindedly waving his scalpel in the direction of the door as he had already returned his attention to the corpse.

"Good. Ducky, step back from the table," Richie said with a note of urgency.

"Why?" Ducky asked, confused. Richie moved closer and looked at the cadaver. As the scarring from the burns began to fade in earnest, Richie smiled as he recognised Ducky's 'guest'.

"I know him," Richie replied, pointing to the man on the table.

"Know him? I'm sorry dear boy, did he Watch a friend?" Ducky asked. Richie shook his head but otherwise didn't answer for the moment as he focussed on the security cameras mounted in the room's corners.

"Is there any way to shut off the surveillance down here?" he asked.

"Certainly, it's over here...but why?" Ducky asked.

"Because we're about to have company," Richie explained.

"Oh! You mean...oh, well yes, this could be awkward." Ducky went over to the controls and switched off the camera and then returned to take another look at the 'victim'. The burns were fading rapidly now. "I should have realized, how stupid of me! Of course, that was why his burns were worse at the dock," Ducky admonished himself. Looking at the nearly healed face, he gasped. "Why, that's Adam Pierson!"

"You know Adam?" Richie asked, surprised.

"Barely. We were introduced in Paris when I moved from the field to research. He was working on the Methos Chronicles at the time. I'd heard the rumour that he was Immortal of course, but I had no idea. You know, this isn't actually the first time that a Watcher turned out to be playing for both sides, as it were. I recall being told a fascinating tale about such an instance, back in my youth…" Ducky said. Richie could tell this was going to turn into one of Ducky's soliloquies.

"Ducky, shouldn't we seal off autopsy?" he interrupted. "Last thing we need is for Jimmy or Gibbs to walk in and see…"

"Walk in and see what?" asked a curt Gibbs from behind Richie. Startled, Richie spun around, but Ducky stepped forward, unflappable as ever and answered.

"That I may have made a mistake, Jethro. I'm afraid this poor chap may have died of a disease or chemical agent, not a fire. I'll have to seal off autopsy for a while, until I can confirm there's no risk. So I need you to leave now please before you get any closer," Ducky explained, motioning for Gibbs to leave.

"What about him?" Gibbs queried, sceptically, pointing his thumb in Richie's direction.

"Richard has already been exposed to whatever risks there may be. It's better he remain here where I can treat him if he becomes symptomatic. Now go!" Duck instructed, ordering a reluctant and suspicious Gibbs from the room before sealing the door behind him and instigating quarantine procedures. As Ducky watched through the door, Gibbs looked back from the elevator, so Ducky gave him a little wave.

"That was close," Richie said with a sigh of relief.

"Indeed," agreed Ducky, his eyebrow raised.

"Closer than you think," said a voice behind them. They both turned to see Methos sitting up on the table. Richie grinned.

"How's it going old man?" he said. Methos looked at him and laughed.

"That's enough of that, brat. My, my, Richie Blaine! Of all the morgues in all the world, I had to wind up in NCIS," he remarked. Richie half laughed, half groaned at the atrocious joke.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Dr. Pierson. Or should that be Clifford?" Ducky asked. Methos glared at Richie, who put his hands up in a gesture of innocence. "Oh, don't blame Mr. Ryan. I'm Dr. Donald Mallard, Richard's Watcher. You probably don't remember, but we met in Paris, oh fifteen years or so ago," Ducky explained, holding out his hand to shake Methos'. Methos nodded in recognition, but he didn't take the proffered hand.

"Relations between me and the Watchers are…strained at the moment," Methos explained.

"Ah, yes, of course. Well, I see that as no reason for us not to be amicable," Ducky reasoned.

"Yeah? Well a good start to our amicable relationship, Dr. Mallard, would be if you could fetch me my clothes."

"Yes of course! Oh, this could be a problem,"

"What's wrong Ducky?" Richie asked.

"Well, Dr. Pierson's clothes were too badly burned to be of any use anyway, but I sent all his things up to Abigail."

"No problem, we'll just call her up and explain," Richie began, heading to the phone.

"Wait a minute! Does everyone around here know about us?" Methos demanded.

"Take a chill pill, old man. It's cool, Abby's replaced Ducky as my Watcher. Didn't Joe tell you?"

"I've been out of Seacouver for a while and I hadn't kept up with your busy social calendar."

Richie laughed. "Abby witnessed a challenge, embraced the whole Watcher gig, so Ducky and Joe agreed it was best if she took over," Richie explained. Methos shook his head.

"Whatever. Can I just get my clothes back?"

"What's wrong with you? You aren't normally this bad tempered," Richie said.

"Forgive me for lacking my usually witty banter. Waking up in a strange morgue does that to me," Methos snarked.

"That's not my fault though. Jeez. So, Ducky, about those clothes?" Richie asked, sorry he'd brought up the subject.

"Although I suppose they will have been recorded by now? Can we get them back without arousing suspicions?" Methos asked. Ducky shook his head.

"Unlikely. An evidence log will have been made, the clothes can't just vanish, they need to be accounted for," Ducky explained. Richie groaned.

"Was there anything in the clothes that could ID you?" he asked Methos.

"No, nothing like that, it was all in my locker at the hospital," Methos answered. "I did have my sword and my gun. What happened to them?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, nothing was brought in with your body. They must have been taken, or thrown clear when…what exactly happened to you?" Ducky said.

"Wish I knew. I was over here, consulting on a case at Bethesda. I was just taking a stroll between surgeries, next thing I know I wake up here. I'd love to know who's responsible though, he ruined a perfectly good Bulgari watch," Methos griped.

"Really? It's not like you to dress like that," Richie commented.

"No, it's not like Adam Pierson to dress like that because he was a penniless scholar. Adam Clifford on the other hand, is a respected and wealthy surgeon who drives an Aston, wears high-end designer labels and lives the high life. After all those years as Pierson, I decided I earned it," Methos replied with a grin.

"Oh. How _do_ you keep track of who you are?" Richie asked with a laugh.

"Practice. Now, about those clothes? It's getting a little nippy in here…"

"Yes, apologies _Dr. Clifford_, I'll find you a set of scrubs for now. Richie, do you keep a spare set of clothes here?" Ducky said as he went to a cupboard and tossed Methos some scrubs, which he gratefully pulled on.

"Hell yes, I can't wear this monkey suit on the bike. I keep spare jeans and a tee in my locker… Oh, but I can't leave autopsy because of the quarantine," Richie replied.

"That's simple enough. Abigail can fetch those things. Call her and tell her your locker combination." Ducky said. Richie nodded and headed to the phone. Ducky turned to Methos. "So, you were working on the Methos Chronicles. I'm sure that would make fascinating reading."

"It's very long," Methos replied, warily.

"Oh, yes, ha!" Ducky chuckled. "You know, I always thought it would be the perfect cover for Methos himself. He'd be able to check the accuracy of his own Chronicles, edit out anything he doesn't want us to read, or anything that might lead to his current whereabouts, all the while remaining the enigma that has probably helped him to keep his head all this time. We're all out, scurrying around looking for him, and he's at Watcher headquarters the whole time," Ducky pointed out, eyebrow raised, challenging 'Adam'.

"Well, if I ever meet him, I'll suggest it," Methos replied coolly. Ducky laughed.

"Indeed," he replied.

"So, with the Watchers long?" Methos asked, changing the subject.

"Too many years. I'd practically retired, just doing the odd bit of research, until Joseph asked me to take in young Mr. Ryan. I was in the field, then when I got too old I switched to research. Worked in the Paris branch for a while, when it coincided with an NCIS assignment, well NIS as it was then of course…" Ducky said, beginning to warm to his topic.

At that moment, Richie called Ducky over to speak to Abby.

"Smart man, that Dr. Mallard," Methos commented to Richie as he returned. Richie smiled, a little puzzled, and nodded. Ducky hung up the phone and returned to where they stood.

"She'll be here shortly," Ducky said.

"In the meantime, shouldn't we be figuring out how to sneak Adam out of NCIS headquarters?" Richie pointed out.

"I must say, you certainly get a better class of morgue in federal buildings," Methos commented, surveying his surroundings properly for the first time.

"I suppose you must be an expert on the subject, by now," Ducky said. Methos smiled enigmatically.

"Like I said, smart man. Has this place got a back door?" he said.

"I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Security on the building is tight since…an incident down here a few years ago," Ducky said, his face darkening. _It's ironic how similar this situation was to that terrible night_, he mused. "Plus I have to explain your body's disappearance. I'm not quite sure how to put that to Gibbs, he's not the most understanding individual. No, I think the best thing, is if you walk out the front door," Ducky finished.

"I'm sorry, have you gone completely nutso?" Methos asked. Richie stared at Ducky, sharing the same thought with Methos.

"Hear me out. We'll say that we made a mistake, that this was…Daniel Clifford. We pretend that the body was that of your identical twin, which we mistakenly identified as you from prints. Quick phone call to a contact of mine at immigration and we can create a false visa, enough to fool a cursory examination. Later on Abigail and Richard can create all the necessary documents for your dead twin," Ducky explained.

"I get it, identical twins, the prints ended up on the wrong ID, okay," Methos said, beginning to see where Ducky was headed.

Ducky laid out the rest of the cover story.

"Let's say that in researching you for the case, Abby discovered the possibility of a twin so she contacted me to make sure we had identified the correct person. I made a call to Bethesda to talk to your colleagues and realised our mistake, so I spoke to you on the phone and asked you to come in. Gibbs won't be happy about me contacting you before telling him, but we'll manage," Ducky continued.

"It's sneaky, and so convoluted it just might work. You think fast Doctor Mallard," Methos said, genuinely impressed.

"Ducky, please. And a combination of working for the Watchers and with Leroy Jethro Gibbs has meant I've had to learn to think on my feet. I remember one instance in Budapest, in my youth…"

"What about the quarantine? If Gibbs comes back and it's still active, and then there's no body…" Richie interrupted.

"Good point Richard," Ducky conceded. Methos snorted with laughter.

"Richard?" he said.

"It's my name isn't it? _Adam_?" Richie said pointedly. "So, Ducky?"

"Oh that's easy to solve, I can end that now," Ducky answered and went to turn off the red sign and unlock autopsy. "If Gibbs comes down I can tell him the body is in a drawer already – he never looks at them again once I've filed them away. Now, I'd best make that call," he finished and walked over to his phone.

Almost as soon as the quarantine was ended, Abby walked through the door of autopsy, carrying a sports bag.

"Sorry I took so long, Gibbs came into the lab. This is so cool!" she said, positively bouncing. Methos rolled his eyes and grabbed the bag from her hands. "You must be our guest," Abby said, a broad grin on her face. Methos looked at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"And you're the Watcher. What exactly do you do here? You don't look like an agent. Unless you're going undercover," Methos commented as he studied her eclectic attire, his amusement plain.

"I'm the forensics expert," she replied, curtly. Richie held his breath, he had a feeling the Old Man was about to get a tongue lashing, Abby style.

"A lab gremlin? You don't look much like one of them either," Methos said, eyebrow raised. "In my experience they're never as pretty as you," he added. Abby blushed, and Richie let out the breath he was holding when he saw that Methos had won Abby over and her anger was assuaged.

"Are all Immortals as charming as you and Richie?" she asked. Methos' grin broke into a smile and he chuckled warmly.

"I don't know about the kid, but most of us have had centuries to polish our technique," he replied.

"With me it's a natural talent," Richie said with a grin, causing the other two to laugh. "Hey, don't underestimate the Ryan charm. Just think, in a century or so it will be a lethal weapon," he added, eliciting more laughter.

"It's a lethal weapon now. To your love life that is," Methos teased.

"Hey!" Richie protested.

"You have to admit Rich, you haven't been too successful with the ladies since you got here," Abby pointed out.

"Only because I've got no time! Not because I struck out. You're supposed to be my friend," Richie said, poking Abby and pulling a 'wounded puppy' look. Abby pulled the same expression, only better, and pinched Richie's cheek.

"You know I was only joking," she said. Richie smiled and nodded, so she smiled back.

Methos pulled out Richie's clothes from the bag.

"Well, they're not exactly designer, and is this oil?!" Methos asked, examining a smear on the jeans.

"Well, if you want to go home in scrubs…" Richie said, making a grab for the clothes. Methos pulled them out of reach.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," he said.

Ducky finished his phone call and crossed back toward them.

"One visa in the name of Daniel Clifford will be in the system in about an hour," he said. "Then, Abigail, if you could create the necessary documentation for Daniel's existence? Oh, and we'll need a fake police report on a rental car being pulled from the harbour," Ducky said.

"What for?" Richie asked.

"I think I have an idea how to forestall any further investigation by NCIS," Ducky answered.

"It might take a while, to make it convincing enough for Gibbs and McGee," Abby said. "And what if he wants to see this imaginary car?"

"Guess the local LEO's lost it." Ducky grinned.

"This is not going to be easy to pull off," Richie said to Methos. "Next time die a little more discreetly will you?"

"How about a big race crash?" Methos snapped back. Richie had the decency to look abashed.

"Come on Richie. I'm gonna need your help on this," Abby said, grabbing him by the arm.

I'll do what I can," Richie said as she dragged him out of autopsy

Methos watched them leave and smiled. Their body language made him think that they wouldn't be 'just friends' for very much longer.

"Okay Dr. Mallard, what's next?" Methos asked.

*-*

The elevator doors opened and Richard Blaine escorted Dr. Adam Clifford into the bull pen. He led him over to Tony, who did a double take when he saw the doctor's face. He looked at the plasma screen, then again at the man in front of him. Then he looked at Richie, who shrugged.

"This is Dr. Adam Clifford. He came in to see Ducky and identify the body of his brother. Ducky thought he should come speak to you guys," Richie said, repeating the line Ducky had given him. Tony stood up.

"I think Dr Clifford should speak with Gibbs," he said, and led Adam towards the interview rooms. Richie watched them go, then with a smile he headed back to the elevator.

*-*

"You did what!?" Gibbs barked, verging on apoplexy. Ducky maintained his smooth veneer and calmly replied,

"I released the body for cremation, Jethro."

"How could you release the body?!" Gibbs demanded. A lesser man might have quailed, but Ducky wasn't fazed.

"That man's death was unfortunate, but not murder. Ridiculous as it may seem, there was no foul play involved. His car was pulled from the harbour with an empty petrol can on the passenger seat. It seems poor Daniel Clifford attempted suicide, but got cold feet, or in this case warm. He must have jumped out of the car, aiming for the water, and missed. Ironically, if he'd stayed in his car he might have survived."

"I don't know Duck, something just seems…" Gibbs tried to find the right word what his gut was telling him. "…hinky."

"His brother confirmed that he had been depressed. He had hoped that this trip to the States would help, but alas it didn't. And NCIS doesn't investigate suicides," Ducky answered. He could see that Gibbs wasn't convinced, but he stuck to his story. "Is it the famous Gibbs' gut that makes you think that something is wrong? Then I think it's acting up today. Maybe you had some bad shrimp?" Ducky suggested.

Gibbs chuckled, but he didn't accept Ducky's explanation. He knew his old friend was hiding something, and his gut was definitely telling him that something about Ducky's 'nephew' was at the source. One day soon, he and Ducky needed to have a little talk about Richard Blaine.


End file.
